Google and Facebook roll out Farsi language tools

Google and Facebook both launched Farsi-language tools last night in response to the activity around the Iranian election and demonstrations.

Perhaps not wanting to be eclipsed by very Twitter-heavy coverage, Google added Farsi, or Persian, to its translation tool to the 40 or so languages on the service. Roll out was brought forward because of the interest around the election so the service works best between Farsi and English, but translations between Farsi and the other languages on the site will be improved gradually.

"We feel that launching Persian is particularly important now, given ongoing events in Iran," wrote principal scientist Franz Och on the official Google blog. "Like YouTube and other services, Google Translate is one more tool that Persian speakers can use to communicate directly to the world, and vice versa - increasing everyone's access to information."

Facebook said much the same. They had noticed increased activity and news sharing around the election and though much of its was in Persian, users had to navigate the site in English.

"We're making the entire site available in a beta version of Persian, so Persian language speakers inside of Iran and around the world can begin using it in their native language," said Facebook engineer Eric Kwan on the Facebook blog.

"We could not have made this happen so quickly without the more than 400 Persian speakers who submitted thousands of individual translations of the site. Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far."